I have now officially joined the ranks of those that have driven a 911 GT3. Let me tell you that it's sunny, warm, gorgeous and that it even smells good over here. Yes, the GT3 is an epic car. Epic given its heritage, its abilities and holy crap, its good looks.
This first impressions drive came, once more, as it did for the Cayenne Turbo, thanks to Porsche's invitation to Auto123.com to come to the 2010 Pebble Beach event. Although the drive was short, I learned much about the car and of myself. And what I discovered flipped my heart inside out and made me angry at the same time. But first, let's talk shop.
The GT3 is all Porsche: a 6-speed manual gearbox, rear wheel drive and a whole lot of aerodynamic add-ons for downforce. Neatly tucked away in the rear, is a 3.8L (3,797 cc) flat-6 cylinder engine that stomps the pavement with 435 hp @ 7,600 rpm and 317 lb-ft of torque @ 6,250 rpm. For those that like this type of information, this motor produces 115.3 hp per litre of displacement, without forced induction! A few final details: maximum engine speed is 8,400 rpm, top speed is 194 mph (310 km/h) and the GT3 will hit 100 km/h in a blink of an eye over 4.0 seconds.
These specs are mind-blowing but they're only part of the story. With the Sport button firmly depressed, the 3.8L growls mercilessly at wide-open-throttle; a profound engine note being spit out the twin-centre-mounted tailpipes. Releasing the heavy clutch is ever so rewarding and rowing the alcantara-covered shifter through its cogs is much like petting a kitten. You know, that warm fuzzy feeling you get inside...
Right from tick-over, the dry-sumped, water-cooled, horizontally opposed "Boxer" six-cylinder wants nothing more than to race to the redline. And God damn does it ever fly! The GT3 doesn't so much accelerate as it feels as though it is being reeled in to a corner by a 50 million-pound winch. Thankfully, the gargantuan 380 mm front and 350 mm rear discs brakes crush any and all attempts at blowing through said corner. Brake fade was not, period. By comparison, the Turbo S' (we doubled up on this run too) ceramic brakes felt no more powerful.
This first impressions drive came, once more, as it did for the Cayenne Turbo, thanks to Porsche's invitation to Auto123.com to come to the 2010 Pebble Beach event. Although the drive was short, I learned much about the car and of myself. And what I discovered flipped my heart inside out and made me angry at the same time. But first, let's talk shop.
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| Yes, the GT3 is an epic car. Epic given its heritage, its abilities and holy crap, its good looks. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com) |
The GT3 is all Porsche: a 6-speed manual gearbox, rear wheel drive and a whole lot of aerodynamic add-ons for downforce. Neatly tucked away in the rear, is a 3.8L (3,797 cc) flat-6 cylinder engine that stomps the pavement with 435 hp @ 7,600 rpm and 317 lb-ft of torque @ 6,250 rpm. For those that like this type of information, this motor produces 115.3 hp per litre of displacement, without forced induction! A few final details: maximum engine speed is 8,400 rpm, top speed is 194 mph (310 km/h) and the GT3 will hit 100 km/h in a blink of an eye over 4.0 seconds.
These specs are mind-blowing but they're only part of the story. With the Sport button firmly depressed, the 3.8L growls mercilessly at wide-open-throttle; a profound engine note being spit out the twin-centre-mounted tailpipes. Releasing the heavy clutch is ever so rewarding and rowing the alcantara-covered shifter through its cogs is much like petting a kitten. You know, that warm fuzzy feeling you get inside...
Right from tick-over, the dry-sumped, water-cooled, horizontally opposed "Boxer" six-cylinder wants nothing more than to race to the redline. And God damn does it ever fly! The GT3 doesn't so much accelerate as it feels as though it is being reeled in to a corner by a 50 million-pound winch. Thankfully, the gargantuan 380 mm front and 350 mm rear discs brakes crush any and all attempts at blowing through said corner. Brake fade was not, period. By comparison, the Turbo S' (we doubled up on this run too) ceramic brakes felt no more powerful.
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| The gargantuan 380 mm front and 350 mm rear discs brakes crush any and all attempts at blowing through a corner. (Photo: Mathieu St-Pierre/Auto123.com) |